Foundation garment



Nov. 1, 1960 6. w. GEISSMANN FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 29, 1957 IN V EN TOR.

NOV. 1, 1960 w, GEISSMANN 2,958,327

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed March 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. W m

Patented Nov. 1, 1960 FOUNDATION GARMENT Gladys W. Geissmann, 2 BeelmlanPlace, New York 22, NY.

Filed Mar. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 649,421 7 Claims. (Cl. 128-525) Thisinvention relates to foundation garments for imparting contour andcontrol comfortably to the figure without impairing natural bodypostures and motions.

Conventionally, most foundation garments are designed to produce amaximum compression of the flesh with an evenly distributed forcewithout regard for the skeletal structure beneath, or the body action.Those conventional types of foundation garments which purport to conveylocalized control with the addition of double fabric at isolated spots,do not accomplish the objective because the doubled fabric simply isequalized by excessive stretching out of the single fabric to which itis attached.

At times they produce unnatural shapes like cylinders, or so compressthe flesh that an unattractive roll is pushed up and out over thewaistline. The indiscriminately applied pressures generated by thesegarments can and do reduce the wearer to agony, particularly when theymultiply as the foundation garment is driven into a sitting position.

The purpose of the present invention, therefore, is to provide anattractive foundation garment affording effective, pleasing figurecontrol while at the same time affording considerable freedom of motionand posture and overall comfort for the wearer.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a foundationgarment including a fabric framework made up of a shaped band toencircle the waist and a shaped band to encircle the area or areas atthe junction of the thighs and the buttocks, these two bands convergingat the front downwardly and upwardly, respectively, into a verticaltension band spanning the more central area of the abdomen. All thebands have strong resilience, girthwise for the most part, so that thevertical abdominal band is substantially unyielding along its span. Inthis fashion, predetermined pressures are developed for controlling thewaist shape, the pressures being consistently applied in amounts whichtend to be uniform with varying positions or actions of the body forreasons which will be apparent. Concurrently, abdominal controlpressures are applied by the vertical band in tension when the wearerstands erect, these pressures deriving almost entirely from theencircling bands reacting downward on the sturdy, supporting bonestructure of the hips and upwardly against the heavier muscles of thebuttocks and thighs.

The hip and buttocks areas between the bands are snugly enveloped by abody portion of a second fabric having considerable resilience in twodirections, one more than the other. The direction of the leastresilience, i.e., maximum resistance to distention, is arrangedgirthwise about the hips and buttocks, inclining slightly downward tothe back, to impart generally uniform figure controlling pressures whichtend to be independent of normal movements of the torso. The fabric isarranged with its greatest elasticity predominantly in the up and downdirection over the buttocks because it must partake of relativelygreater distention in that direction. It is the only structural linkvertically between the backs of the two encircling bands and is able toaccommodate the extraordinary changes in length and shape necessary tocomply with what the figure does between sitting and standing positions.This useful characteristic of the inner or body portion of the garmentcan be augmented by pre-shaping the back to the natural contours takenby the buttocks in a standing posture. The body portion, having stronghorizontal elasticity, also serves to impart abdominal control when thefigure is in a sitting position, taking over from the slackeningvertical band of the framework. These control forces of the body portionderive from the increased tensions girthwise when the figure is in asitting position. Overall, there results a continuity offigure-controlling pressures on the abdomen, waist, hips, and buttocksin amounts which adequately reflect and idealize the geometry of thefigure without imposing pain-inducting pressures in .localized areaswhen the figure assumes a variety of positions.

Representative embodiments of the invention from which the above andother features will be readily ap parent are described below havingreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a foundation garment as it would appearfilled;

Figure 2 is a back view of the foundation garment of Figure 1 on amodel;

Figure 3 is a side view of the foundation garment of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a front view of a modified foundation garment construction;

Figure 5 is a front view of another modification of the foundationgarment;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a component part of the foundation garmentsof Figures 1-5;

Figure 7 is a partly developed front view of another component of thegarment of Figures 1-3;

Figure 8 is a side view in perspective showing the foundation garment ona model in sitting posture; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view of the reinforced inside surface of theoutside of the leg of the garment of Figures 1-3.

Referring to the drawing, first to Figures 1-3, the invention isillustrated as embodied in a foundation garment, indicated generally bythe numeral 10, taking the form of a girdle with legs, sometimes calleda panty girdle. The foundation garment 10 includes a fabric frameassembly having an upper body-encircling band portion 11 adapted tosurround the waist area and a lower body-encircling portion 12 adaptedto be worn in the area near the junction of the buttocks and the thighs,the portion 12 including, in this embodiment, a pair of leg-encirclingband portions 12a and 12b. The encircling band portions 11 and 12 arejoined at the front by a vertical tension band portion 13 spanning theabdomen at its critical area, the two bands 11 and 12 being otherwisefree of connection by the basic fabric of which the frame assembly isformed.

The fabric of the frame assembly band portions 11, i2, and i3 isstrongly resiliently distendabl-e in one direction, that is, it hasone-way stretch and considerable recovery power. To this end it can takethe form of a relatively heavy weave fabric including warp yarns ofstrong, elastic material. It can also be a combination of materials toachieve this pre-planned result such as lined or multiple thickness. Inthe garment 10 the direction of the elastic yarns and hence thedirections of stretch are arranged to aiford the major component of thestretch girthwise of the wearer, with only a minor component runningaxially or vertically of the wearer. Referring to Figure l, thedirection of stretch of the fabric of the upper band portion 11 isnormal to the oppositely inclined reference lines 14a and 14b, whereasthe direction of stretch of the fabric of the lower band portion 12 isnormal to the oppositely inclined reference lines 15a and 1512'. In thearrangement of Figure 1, the vertical band portion 13 is defined by thedownwardly converging lo'wer'edges 16 and 17 of the upper band portion11 and by the upwardly converging upper edges 18 and 19 of the lowerband portion 12, the concavely convergent edges 16 and 18 meeting at ajunction 20' on one side of the vertical center line of the garment (andalso of the wearer) and generally midway between the upper and lowerbands. The convergent edges 17 and 19 meet at a junction 21correspondingly located on the other side of the center line. In thedesign of the garment of Figure 1, the upwardly convergent edges 18 and19 are brought to a point 22 at the center line, being stitched to theunderlying portions of the upper band 11. This establishes, in additionto a pleasing optical effect at the front of the garment, a band sectionof double strength at the place of maximum force concentration. At notime, it shall be recognized, are the positive, figure-controllingforces on the abdomen derived basically from circumferential forcesaround the torso in the vicinity of the abdomen. In other words, radialpressure inwardly on the abdomen is accomplished locally withoutconstricting the body at the abdomen, in this fashion preventing painfulpressures on the lower back area and hip area. Coextensive center seams23a and 23b join the top of the upper band portion 11 to the lower bandportion 12 along the length, it follows, of the tension band 13.

Referring to Figure 7, a representative cut for the frame assembly isillustrated, one side being shown in its threedimensional or finishedform and the other side in a developed plan view. The lower band portion12 and particularly the thigh-encircling portion 12b thereof is formedby a strip 24, the edge 25 of which is brought around and stitched tothe edge 26 to form a closed loop for the leg, the edges 25 and 26 beingcut to form a gentle downward taper. In the left-hand or finished bandportion 12a of the garment this scam is identified by the numeral 27.Also, the upper band portion 11 is preferably tapered gently upwardly bymeans, for example, of a contouring side seam 28. If necessary, a zipperclosure 29 can be provided in the upper margin of the garment, theclosure appearing, for example, at the center of the back as shown inthe arrangement of Figures 1 and 7.

The space between the band portions 11, 12, and 13 is filled by a bodyor central portion 30, the shape of which in plan view is illustrated byFigure 6, sewn to the front assembly. This piece takes a generallyelliptical form with the portion of maximum height occurring along thevertical center line at the back of the garment, the height decreasingprogressively around the girth of the wearer to the junctions 20 and 21of the frame assembly. The body portion 30 is formed of a two-waystretch material having more give in one direction than the other, butboth of which are considerably less powerful than the single directionof stretch of the frame assembly. The portion 30 is fitted in the frameassembly so that the direction of the most resilience or leastresistance runs vertically as indicated by the direction-of-stretchlines 31 in Figures 2 and 6, and the direction of most resistance tostretch runs generally horizontally with a slight downward inclinationto the back in the standing figure as indicated by thedirection-of-stretch lines 32 in Figures 2, 3, and 6. In the seatedfigure, as shown in Figure 8, these lines change direction, although, asdescribed below, the attendant forces do not.

In a preferred arrangement, the body portion 30 is formed of a knittednet material, commonly called power net, which under equal forcesstretches approximately 60 percent further in one direction than in theother. The garment is fitted to the wearer so that the girthwise forcesimposed on the hips and buttocks by the body portion 30 affords thedesired degree of figure control in these regions. The radial pressuresimparted around the girth tend to be rather constant, not changingsignificantly with the various positions and motions of the wearer,although the directions can change, as described above. In the verticaldirection (direction-of-stretch lines 31) where the elongation on thefigure varies from a maximum near the center of the back portion to aminimum near the junctions 20 and 21 of the frame assembly, the fabricaffords maximum stretch to impose minimum restrictive forces. This doesnot adversely aifect the figure-controlling action of the inner or bodyportion 30 of the garment which derives from the relatively greatercircumferential forces. In accordance with the invention, additionalcomfort can be provided in the seat portion of the garment byconstructing the body portion 30 to include an additional wedge-shapedsection 33 at the lower portion of the seat to provide the verticalexpansion for the right angle form of the seated wearer. The bodyportion 30 is completed by means of a crotch section 34 which can beformed integrally with the seat-enlarging section 33 or, alternatively,seamed thereto. To prevent rolling or curling of the sides of the lowerband portion 12, an insert piece 35 (Figures 3 and 9) can be added tothe inside surface of the band on either side of the garment.

Referring to Figure 4, there is illustrated a foundation garment 10having a construction basically similar to that of Figures 1-3, butdifiering in the preparation and assembly of the components. In Figure4, in which parts more or less identical to those of Figures 1-3 areidentified by like, primed reference numerals, one-half of the upperband portion 11 and one-half of the lower band portion 12 are cut as asingle or integrated fabric piece 36. Similarly, the other half of theupper band portion and the other half of the lower band portion areformed from a single fabric piece 37, the two pieces being joined alonga front center seam 38 in which a zipper closure 39 can be incorporated.By this technique, one thighencircling portion 12b can be includedintegrally with the piece 36, and the other 12a integrally with thepiece 37, the thigh portions including seams 40 and 41 respectively. Inthis form of the garment the broken lines 14a and 14b, signifying as inFigure 1 the non-stretch grain of the fabric in the framework assembly,are duplicated in direction in the extension of the lower bands 1211',as indicated by the lines 15a and 15b. This results when the upper bandis cut in one with the leg band rather than in two pieces as shown inFigure 1. In either case, girthwise or horizontal elasticity andvertical strength are so combined that the elasticity is able to work atan angle up over the hips and at an obliquely opposite angle down intothe curved leg bands, which curve changes the pitch of the elasticity asit progresses around the leg. This affords live, flexibly forcefulaction to the abdominal control and the feeling of the whole garment.

A legless foundation garment 10" can be provided in accordance with theinvention as shown by Figure 5. Parts of the foundation garment ofFigure 5 which correspond generally to those of Figures l-3 are againidentified by like, primed reference numerals. The lower bodyencirclingband portion 12 takes the form of a single loop to surround the areabetween the two thighs and the buttocks. A side upper closure 42 can beincorporated between the hip area and the center line as shown, or acenter front or center back closure can be used. As in all of thegarments described herein, garters 43 can be included in the lower bandportion. The same principles of figure control, including the abdominalspan 13' brought into tension by the oppositely directed warp stretchpulls spread over the upper hips and the lower torso by the upper andlower band portions 11 and 12. As in all of the illustrated embodiments,localized vertical abdominal support is achieved without squeezing hardevery part around the hips and abdomen, or atfecting the sensitive lowerback area in prolonged sitting posture.

Referring to Figure 8, a foundation garment in accordance with thepresent invention is illustrated on a seated figure, in which connectionit will be observed that the spacing between the back of the lowerencircling band 12 and the back of the lower encircling band 11 hasincreased materially, the change in dimension being accommodated by thefreedom of elongation embodied in the construction of the body portion30 coupled with the absence of other vertical connections between therelatively more powerful band portions. In sitting attitude, thestronger and less yielding band portions of the garment are notsubjected to significantly increased stress. The band portions at thefront of the garment are capable of easily hinging to accommodate theangle between the thighs and the lower abdomen. At this time the tensionaround the waist and legs is lessened to afiord comfort for long periodsof sitting, while the horizontally-applied forces of the body portion 30come into play to impart abdominal control. The horizontal forces becomeincreasingly elfective under the extra tension of the sitting position.Thus, there are changes in forces controlling the figure as the figureassumes different postures. Standing erect, as indicated in Figure 3,the upper and lower band portions, by virtue of their shapes andlocations, are relatively secure against axial movement, reactingagainst body surfaces and bone structures well able to withstand thedispersed axial forces. These forces are passed to the vertical band 13through an X configuration deriving from the downwardly convergent,curving edge portions 16 and 17 and the upwardly converging, curvingedges 18 and 19 in an action which is substantially independent of thepredetermined girthwise hip and buttock region control imparted by theinner two-way stretching body portion 30. At no time are forceconcentrations generated by the more conventional and potentiallypainful expedient of plying reinforcing material with two-way materialin localized areas to distort the garment and multiply the pressures.

The ledge formed by the skeletal hip bones under the muscle and fleshcovering of the waistline just above the location of the hip bones,serves as a natural bearing point from which to suspend the means ofcontrol of the abdomen. The waistband is so shaped at the side seamsover the hip bone area that a sloping line is accomplished outwardly toaccommodate the bone formation underneath, in this fashion complyingwith the existence of the underlying structure of the body. Anunattractive tube-like shape is avoided as are strain on the nerves andfatigue and immobilization of the muscles. Also eliminated is thetendency to push waistline flesh up and out into a roll. The absence ofconstriction at the hip bone area avoids agonizing discomfort when thewearer bends or sits. Thus, sitting comfort is not sacrificed for aprescribed silhouette in a standing position.

While the invention has been described above having reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it can takevarious forms and arrangements without departing from the scope of theinvention. The principles of the invention are applicable, for example,to a wide variety of foundation garments including girdles, pantygirdles, and corsets. Also, a number of different sheet or fabricmaterials can be used, consistent with the indicated balance ofresiliency. The framework assembly of the present invention can be madewithout a releasable closure such as a zipper if desired, althoughgerater precision of control is afforded if a closure is used because itprovides more readily for the band at the waistline to ride on thesupporting hip bones in a very comfortably contoured shape, cut toaccommodate the greater extension of the skeletal bones beneath theflesh. The

invention should not be regarded as limited except as defined in theaccompanying claims:

I claim:

1. In a foundation garment, a frame assembly of flexible sheet materialincluding first body-encircling waist band means, second body-encirclingband means to be disposed generally below the buttocks of the wearer,vertical band means merging with and joining the first and second handmeans along the front of the garment, the vertical band means beingdimensioned relatively to the positions of the first and second bandmeans to be pulled taut by the first and second body encircling bandmeans when the wearer stands erect, and a body portion of relativelymore resilient flexible sheet material having elasticity in bothdirections and joined to the frame assembly to fill the space betweensaid band means, whereby girthwise forces between the band means derivefrom the relatively more resilient body portion substantiallyindependently of the frame assembly, whereby with the figure standingerect the frame assembly imparts abdominal control through tension insaid vertical band means, the tension relaxing as the figure assumes asitting posture with abdominal control shifting from the verticaltension deriving from the frame assembly to horizontal forces derivingfrom the distended body portion.

2. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 1, said second encirclingband means comprising a pair of bands to encircle the thighs of thewearer, each of the last said pair of band means merging into saidvertical band means adjacent the lower front portion of the garment.

3. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 1, said second encirclingband means comprising a single band to encircle the lower torso of thewearer, the band inclining forwardly upwardly to merge into the verticalband means adjacent the lower front portion of the garment.

4. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 1, said body portion atthe back of the garment being arranged to afford maximum resilience in avertical direction to accommodate bending, said frame assembly beingformed of relatively less resilient material having resiliencepredominantly in one direction, the first, second, and vertical bandmeans being arranged with its direction of resilience disposedgirthwise.

5. In a foundation garment, a frame assembly of flexible sheet materialincluding first body-encircling band means to be disposed generallyabout the waist of the wearer and having a front portion which curvesdownward along its lower edge on either side of the front center line ofthe garment, second body encircling band means to be disposed generallybelow the buttocks of the wearer and having a front portion which curvesupwardly along its upper edge on either side of the front center line ofthe garment, said first and second band means being vertically spacedapart, said curving edges of the first and second band means mergingtogether in two junctions proximate to and equally spaced from the frontcenter line of the garment and generally midway between the first andsecond encircling band means, thereby to define vertical band meansalong the vertical front center line of the garment, which vertical bandmeans is held in tension when the wearer stands erect by the opposingforces derived from the encircling band means, and a body portion offlexible sheet material having substantially greater resilience than thematerial of said band means to span the distance between said first andsecond band means, whereby addominal controlling forces derivesubstantially from said frame assembly as developed in the vertical bandmeans, and the girthwise figure controlling forces between the first andsecond hand means derive substantially from said resilient body portion,the material of said body portion aflording resilience in bothdirections. 1

6. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 5, said secondbody-encircling band means including a pair of thigh-encircling bandscurving outwardly and b ackwardly from the front of the garment.

7. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 5, said body portioncomprising a single piece of resilient flexible sheet material "ofgenerally oval shape joined to said band means, said frame assemblybeing formedof sheet material having substantially-oneway stretch ofrelatively less resilience than either direction of stretch of the bodyportion, the-directionof stretch running substantially girthwise of thewearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSOliensis Oct. 28, 1947 Morin Mar. 20, 1951 Loftus et a1 Aug. 28, 1951Hurwitz Feb. 24, 1953 Murdock Mar. 24, 1953 Schwoerer Aug. 11, 1953Leonard Apr. 20, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OFCORRECTION Patent No .i 2 958,327 November 1,, 1960 Gladys W, GeissmannIt is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered pat entrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read ascorrected below.

In the grant (only) line 12 for "Gladys W, Geissmann his heirs" readGladys W Geissmann, her heirs c Si ned and sealed this 2nd day of May1961,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID Ln LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

